Parliament-Funkadelic

1940

1940

George Clinton, the visionary leader of the Parliament-Funkadelic empire, is born in Kannapolis, North Carolina.

1941

Gene Grady Thomas was born.

1941

Clarence “Fuzzy” Haskins was born.

1942

Calvin “Thang” Simon was born.

1944

Bernie Worrel was born.

1944

Tiki Fulwood was born.

1950

Eddie Hazel was born.

1950

Jerome Brailey was born.

1951

William “Billy Bass” Nelson Jr. is born.

1951

Bootsy Collins was born.

1952

Cordell “Boogie” Mosson Jr. is born.

1953

Gary Shider was born.

1955

George Clinton forms the Parliaments with fellow classmates at Clinton Place Junior High School in Plainfield, New Jersey.

1967

“(I Wanna) Testify,” by the Parliaments, enters the R&B singles chart. It is a massive R&B hit (#3) that also rises to #20 on the pop Top Forty. Seven years later it is recut by Parliament (with the s lopped off) as “Testify.”

1969

The untitled first album by Funkadelic, including the defining track “Mommy, What’s a Funkadelic...?,” is released.

1970

‘Osmium’, the first album by Parliament, is released.

1971

‘Maggot Brain’, the third Funkadelic album, is highlighted by the title track, a landmark ten-minute guitar solo from Eddie Hazel.

1972

Funkadelic’s most overtly political album (and only double LP), ‘America Eats Its Young’, is released.

1974

‘Up for the Downstroke’ revives the Parliament name. With overlapping personnel, Parliament and Funkadelic operate on different but parallel tracks through the end of the decade.

1975

Parliament releases the breakthrough album Mothership Connection, whose audacious concept loosely hinges on the notion that Planet Earth was originally settled by a tribe of black outer-space aliens who would one day return to liberate their descendants.

1977

‘Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome’, another concept album building on the story line first articulated on ‘Mothership Connection’, enters the charts. It reaches #13, tying ‘Mothership Connection’ as the highest-charting Parliament album.

1978

Glenn Lamont Goins died.

1978

Parliament’s “Flash Light,” driven by a synthesized bass line, enters the R&B chart, which it will top for three weeks. It is a Top Twenty single on the pop charts as well.

1978

Funkadelic releases ‘One Nation Under a Groove’. Its anthemic title track tops the R&B charts for six weeks and is the only Funkadelic single ever to reach the pop Top Forty.

1978

Parliament’s “Aqua Boogie” enters the R&B charts, which it will top for four weeks.

1979

Funkadelic’s second biggest hit, “(Not Just) Knee Deep,” enters the R&B charts, which it will top for three weeks.